December 12, 2022

What Is Born from Fire


What Is Born from Fire
A screenshot from the video. YouTube, Monetochka.

On December 6, the internet-famous Russian singer Monetochka released a music video on Youtube for her song "Gori" ("Burn") that directly criticizes pro-government propaganda.

Initially released in 2019 as "Gori, Gori, Gori" ("Burn, Burn, Burn"), the song addressed not only the wildfires in Siberia at the time but also the persecution of artists in Russia. In that video she employed the "Everything is Fine" meme, showing her surroundings in flames while she sat on a chair with a forced smile. All proceeds from the video were directed to Greenpeace's efforts to combat the wildfires.

From her exile in Lithuania, Monetochka has now released a new video for the song. In the new version, the world is grey and ordinary citizens are transformed into furniture by a missile coming from their televisions. Then, all of them are burned up by authorities, who dance around in a circle. Suddenly a new man is born from the ashes. The authorities give him a suit and he reenters society. The video is below.

Monetochka leaves us asking: when the world burns, who will be the phoenix born from its ashes?

You Might Also Like

Playing With Fire
  • October 15, 2022

Playing With Fire

Maria Yudina was a profoundly gifted pianist and teacher. And there is a certain lingering myth about her...
Too Hot for Kazakhstan
  • November 22, 2022

Too Hot for Kazakhstan

A Russian singer's Almaty concert was canceled due to her vocal support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin Cancels Culture
  • August 18, 2022

Kremlin Cancels Culture

A working group of the Russian State Duma has compiled a list of cultural figures who have denounced the war in Ukraine. They can either "repent" or quit their jobs.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955